baseballfandomcom-20200222-history
Randy Winn
Dwight Randolph "Randy" Winn (born June 9, 1974 in ) is an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. Winn is a switch hitter, and throws right-handed. Winn has 4 career multi-homer games. Early life Winn grew up in , and attended San Ramon Valley High School. He attended college at Santa Clara University, and played baseball and basketball (where he played guard alongside former roommate and future NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash). Professional career Winn began his professional baseball career in , when he was selected in the third round (65th overall) of the MLB amateur draft by the Florida Marlins. He was taken by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1997 expansion draft. Major Leagues Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998–2002) Winn made his Major League debut on May 11, 1998 as a pinch runner for the Devil Rays. On October 3, 1999, he hit an inside-the-park grand slam against the New York Yankees. No player has hit one since. Winn's only All-Star Game appearance came in 2002, when he was Tampa Bay's lone representative. Seattle Mariners (2003–05) Following the 2002 season, the Seattle Mariners acquired him as compensation for manager Lou Piniella signing with Tampa Bay. In Seattle he did substantially well with 462 hits, 40 home runs, 56 stolen bases, 96 doubles, 17 triples, and a .299 batting average over a 2 1/2 year period. San Francisco Giants (2005–) 2005 Prior to the trading deadline on July 31, 2005, Seattle traded Winn to the Giants for catcher Yorvit Torrealba and minor league pitcher Jesse Foppert. Upon his arrival, Winn instantly became a much-needed offensive and defensive force for the Giants. Normally a winning team, the Giants were in the midst of a losing season, having suffered the loss of their biggest offensive force, Barry Bonds, and other crucial starting players due to injuries. Winn gave new life to the ailing Giants and instantly earned the respect and admiration of his teammates and Giants fans everywhere. It was a successful homecoming for the San Francisco Bay Area native. Winn has also been a great player on the defensive end. In one game Winn robbed Eric Byrnes of a home run in the top of the 9th. The Giants then won the game on a walk off home run by Moisés Alou. Despite a late-season rally, the 2005 Giants finished third in the NL West, with a 75-87 record. In his 231 at bats as a Giant, Winn had a .359 batting average, a .680 slugging percentage, 26 RBI, and hit 14 home runs. By comparison, in his 386 at bats with the Mariners that year, Winn was batting .275, slugging .391, had 37 RBIs, and hit 6 home runs. In his two months with the Giants, Winn equaled his career record for home runs in a season. For his outstanding performance in the month of September, Winn was named National League Player of the Month; he recorded 51 hits and had a batting average of .447. Winn's 51 hits were the most in one month by a Giant in over 30 years. Winn had a career-high hitting-streak which was 20 games. See also *Hitting for the cycle *Tampa Bay Devil Rays all-time roster References External links Category:Major League Baseball center fielders Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:Seattle Mariners players Category:Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Category:American League All-Stars Category:Major League Baseball players from California Category:African American baseball players Category:Baseball players who have hit for the cycle Category:2006 World Baseball Classic players of the United States Category:American basketball players Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:Center Fielders Category:Left Fielders Category:Players